The present invention relates to process temperature control for a rotary process machine such as a printing press.
Rotary printing presses are utilized to reproduce copies of an original copy at a reasonable cost in a rapid and semi-continuous manner by applying ink of assorted colors in a pre-determined xe2x80x9cdotxe2x80x9d array laid down on a substrate, such as paper, from printing plates. Typically, four process ink colors are utilized in a printing run necessitating, at least, four units of press, one for each ink color. The xe2x80x9cdotxe2x80x9d array of each ink color is super-imposed adjacent to the other ink colors so that no ink color dots touch each other. This creates an optical image in color, shade and tone of an original. There are various types of rotary printing machines using different printing processes such as gravure, flexography and lithography. Since lithography is the most common printing process used today, this description of the related art and the present invention will focus on the lithographic printing process. However, the related art and the present invention applies to any rotary press process where process fluids, such as ink and dampening solution are utilized.
In lithography, there are two types of printing plates utilized, namely, water based and waterless. Whether this predetermined xe2x80x9cdotxe2x80x9d array of each ink color is achieved by using conventional lithographic printing plates with oleophilic and hydrophilic areas, the water based type, or waterless printing plates that do not require the water dampening in the conventional lithography process, narrow process temperature control is vital to obtain and maintain consistent quality of each copy produced. Today, printing presses operate at a rate as high as 25 copies per second with so called web rotary offset presses and 5 copies per second with so called sheet-fed offset rotary presses. Once a copy is produced, it is either saleable or waste. The quality of each copy is influenced by many factors such as the typed, adjustment and condition of the rotary press, its accessories equipment, ink, paper and press operator skills. A further very important factor at high press speeds is process temperature control. Effective process temperature control is a real-time issue requiring very fast and accurate process temperature monitoring and adjustments at every instant during each print run. A printing run, defined as the time it takes to generate a desired number of good copies of a specific original, is a pressroom process of setting up the press for this specific print run (make ready), then ramping the speed of the rotary press as quickly as possible while producing a minimum of wasted copies. A print run often involves frequent press stoppages to deal with an assortment of printing problems. Whereas rotary press heating is important for cold press startups, controlled process temperature cooling is continuously important once the press is up to temperature to deal with the process and friction heat loads generated at each press unit. Machine friction heat increases exponentially with press speeds. Process heat loads are generated by ink shearing that takes place at higher press speeds. Prior art in the field of press temperature control ignores the real-time issue of meaningful process temperature control and focuses mostly on general cooling of the rotary press using ink vibrator roller cooling. The paradyns of the printing industry accept this non real-time process general cooling as sufficient. It relies on operator skills to visually inspect copies produced to observe all print quality drifts with which he or she makes appropriate process adjustments. This procedure deals with the real-time effects of process temperature changes rather than treating the cause to eliminate print quality drifts before they occur. The prior art attempts to cool the printing process generally and ink specifically, but makes no attempt to use ink or other process fluids as a coolant towards achieving a more rigid control over process temperatures. Further, and more importantly, the prior art makes no attempt to reach quickly to changes in process temperatures as they continuously occur during each print run. This present invention is dedicated to real-time process temperature control to provide direct control of the color quality of each copy produced.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,971,460 issued to Shindle in 1961 discloses a system for controlling ink roller temperatures of a printing press by circulating cold or hot water through these hollowed out rollers. The purpose of this art is to cool or heat these rollers using water which discharge to a drain using a thermostatic valve that is responsive to the water temperature discharged from these rollers. In addition to its wastefulness of water, no attempt is made, or envisioned, to directly control process temperatures of the press. Rather, this art satisfies its purpose of removing of some of the printing process heat gain in a manner that only responds to the temperature gain or losses of the water to drain. No attempt is made, or contemplated, to directly measure or control any printing process temperature.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,956,986 issued to Burkhandt Wirz et al in 1976 discloses a system to provide control of the temperature of the ink fountain roller and ink vibrator rollers by circulating water through these rollers such that the water discharged from these rollers can be heated or cooled to a preset temperature by adding hotter or colder water before recirculating same back to the press. While this art automates that which was envisioned by U.S. Pat. No. 2,971,460 granted to Shindle in 1961, this art does not attempt or envision to directly monitor or control ink temperatures or other process temperatures.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,272,971 issued to Guenther Fredericks in 1993 discloses a system to provide ink temperature control for lithographic printing by using a non contact sensor at the ink vibrator rollers and at the plate cylinder roller to operate a PID controlled valve which adds cool and hot water to the coolant supplied to the printing press to achieve a preset temperature for delivery to the vibrator rollers of a press. While the inventor of this art claims that this method of controlling the coolant temperatures is substantially continuous, rapid and energy efficient, this art cannot be quicker to maintain process temperatures than the speed at which the coolant temperature is adjusted by the addition of cool or hot water. As a result, this art is too slow to control the process temperature of the ink at the ink vibrator rollers in real time and even more slow to adjust process temperature control at the plate cylinder of a printing press where no coolant is circulated.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,189,960 issued to Frederic Valentine in 1993 discloses a system for controlling the temperature of the printing plates on the plate cylinders of a rotary printing press using closed loop heater and cooler units with controllable mixing valves to provide a desired temperature coolant fed to the ink oscillator rollers of a printing press. The controlled coolant mixture cools or heats the ink and in turn, the ink cools the printing plate at the plate cylinder. This art is a system similar to U.S. Pat. No. 5,272,971 in that it attempts to control the ink temperature at the ink vibrator rollers using a controllable mixing valve, non contact temperature sensor and a temperature controller to automate the temperature control process. This art is also too slow acting to provide process temperature changes in real time.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,611,278 issued to Steve M. Garner in 1997 discloses a system that controls the ink temperature of a printing plate and ink vibrator rollers of a printing press using non contact sensors interfaced to an electrically operated valve placed in the coolant flow circuit to and from the ink vibrator rollers. This art envisions achieving process temperature control by varying the coolant flow rate to the press in real-time. The electrically operated valve is connected to a controller that actuates the electrically operated valve causing it to open or close incrementally in response to process temperature changes. This art is not concerned with rapid cooling/heating responses in real time since electrically actuated valves are, by design, slow to respond to commands. Further, this art increasing or decreasing the flow rate of coolant to the ink vibrator rollers in real-time in response to PID commands from process temperature observations at the printing plate cylinders. This art attempts to incrementally increase or decrease ink temperatures by adjusting coolant flow rates to the ink vibrator rollers and slowly reacts to dampen the increases in temperature of the process. Therefore, this art does not react sufficiently fast in real time to rigidly control ink temperatures or process temperatures.
In water based lithography, a conventional printing plate is mounted on each plate cylinder of each unit of press. A film of water based dampening solution is first applied on each printing plate over which ink is secondly applied. This dual layer of water and ink are transmitted to a substrate with every full rotation of the plate cylinder. The oleophilic areas of the printing plate repels the water based dampening solution and attract the ink. Its hydrophilic areas attract the dampening solution and repel the ink. In this way, ink is deposited in a xe2x80x9cdotxe2x80x9d array on the printing plate which is then transferred to the substrate via a blanket roller. The ink dots of each color, usually four base colors, are precisely placed adjacent to one another to create an optical image of an original copy in matching colors and tones.
In waterless lithography, the printing plate is a different design than water based lithography in that the waterless plate does not require water based dampening solution. The non-print areas of a waterless printing plate are specially coated to not attract ink. By design, these waterless printing plates are more temperature sensitive than conventional plates. In addition, the absence of the temperature dampening effect of dampening solution with waterless plates increase their sensitivity to process temperature changes. Therefore, process temperature control is a more critical concern with waterless lithography. At low press speeds, process temperature control is not so vital using either type of printing plate, since frictional heat is relatively small and ink-shearing heat is non-existent. However, at the high speeds of modern day printing presses, frictional heat and ink shearing heat are huge and these huge heat gains impact negatively on print quality for water based and waterless lithography alike.
Without limiting the foregoing, the lithographic process lays down dots of ink of different colors on a substrate using a plurality of press units, at least, one press unit per color. The precise arrangement of individual ink dots of different colors, adjacent to one another, results in a visual image on the substrate in the color, tones and shape of an original copy being replicated. The quality of the image on each printed copy depends on the sharpness of each ink dot on the substrate. In turn, dot sharpness depends on the quality/quantity control of fountain solution and ink used and the process temperature under which each dot is created. An increase in process temperature tends to spread each dot and distorts the visual image produced. These distortions occur for a host of reasons such as operator changes to the amount of dampening solution to correct for observed printing defects in the copies being produced or the increase in the fluidity of the inks due to process temperature increases and/or press machine misalignments caused by process temperature changes in real-time. In waterless lithography, the absence of dampening solution eliminates the probability of ink distortions caused by wetting the substrate and emulsification of the inks. However, the absence of the cooling effect of dampening solution with waterless printing plates increases the sensitivity of waterless printing plates to process temperatures changes.
As mentioned, modem day lithographic process is a very high-speed semi-continuous process that produces finished copies at a rate as high as twenty-five copies per second. This is too fast for manual control of print quality due to process temperature changes. Since the quality of each copy is heavily influenced by the process temperatures under which it was processed, it is imperative that process temperatures be maintained within very narrow ranges in real time throughout each printing run. The ink shearing which only takes place at higher press speeds adds to the necessity of quick-acting control process temperatures in real-time. Ink shearing, which is the tearing apart of ink molecules, is a heat generating process which increases the difficulty of maintaining process temperatures within range. Also ink shearing changes the chemical characteristics of the ink and this further degrades print quality in real time.
Some print authorities believe that ink temperature control within the range of xc2x17xc2x0 F. provides sufficient process temperature control for good print quality standards. Increasingly, the majority of print authorities realize that color consistency is being held within an acceptable range through the continuous manual process adjustments which are made necessary by process temperature drifts. Accordingly, print authorities are slowly accepting the process temperature control to xc2x12xc2x0 F. provides steadier print quality while reducing the frequency of press adjustments by as much as 80%. To achieve this tighter control of process temperatures, abundant cooling power with quick acting cooling flow rate control coupled with accurate and direct process temperature monitoring in real-time is essential.
Apart from the inability of all the prior art described by U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,611,278; 5,189,960; 5,272,971; 3,956,986 and 2,971,460 to be quickly responsive to process temperature changes, the first three listed purport to control the temperature of the plate cylinder in real time by controlling the heating or cooling applied at the ink vibrator rollers. The investigations by the inventors of the present invention show that these first three prior arts do not provide sufficiently rigid process temperature control at the plate cylinder of a printing press in real time at high press speeds. At best, these arts monitor printing plate temperatures and slowly react to correct for process temperature changes; a marginal improvement to the art that pre-existed them.
During a press run, the press itself is a huge heat source. In the rare instances where an increase in the print plate temperature is desired (such as cold press start-ups), this printing plate heating is quickly and naturally achieved by the actual heat generated in the printing process. However, controlling plate temperatures within a range of xc2x12xc2x0 F. requires a new means to instantly and completely stop and start abundant coolant flow being supplied to the ink vibrator rollers and/or plate cylinders to have quick process temperature control impact. When a decrease in the printing plate temperature is instantly required, this cooling can be achieved by supplying external coolant at full flow to reduce the temperature of the ink vibrator rollers and/or plate cylinders of each printing press unit with a very fast acting ability to fully stop this flow. Unless direct coolant flow for cooling/heating can be circulated at the plate cylinders, the quick response cooling or heating at one place (ink vibrator rollers) has only a slow and indirect impact at another place (the plate cylinder). If a printing press is designed to receive direct cooling/heating at the plate cylinder rollers, the preferred embodiment of this invention includes the delivery of coolant to the plate cylinder rollers to control the plate temperatures to a desired set temperatures using the exact same process temperature control system as is proposed for the ink vibrator roller cooling/heating system of this present invention. In this aspect of the present invention, the plate cylinder temperature control takes precedent over ink vibrator roller temperature control since temperature control at the printing plate is more critically related to the quality of the copies actually produced. Therefore, when the plate cylinders are cooled directly, the temperature settings of the ink vibrator rollers would automatically decreased or increased under PID control to assist in narrowing the range of process temperatures at the plate cylinder while maintaining the ink temperatures at the ink vibrator rollers within an acceptable range that will not result in roller sweating and will not impact negatively on the inks characteristics.
The first objective of the present invention is to provide a system to regulate ink temperatures at the ink vibrator rollers and/or the plate cylinders of rotary printing press in real time within a narrow range of set temperatures to optimize the chemical characteristics of each ink color, maintain color consistency in the printed copies, reduce the frequency of manual press adjustment interventions by printing press operators and reduces wasted copies. The second objective of the present invention is to assist the temperature control of the first objective by controlling the temperature of dampening solution supplied to the plate cylinders. The third objective is to provide temperature control over other sources of process heating and to control the temperatures of other process constituents.
In most aspects of the present invention, the temperature control system includes a pump driven coolant circulation system in a closed loop connecting the ink vibrator rollers and/or plate cylinder rollers of each unit of a rotary printing press to a reservoir of a central cooling/heating unit heat pump in a way that very high rates of external coolant flow are instantly available at full flow or no flow (on/off) to these press rollers. This coolant flow rate is precisely controlled with reference to the ink temperature monitored at the ink vibrator rollers and/or at the plate cylinder by ink temperature sensors at each. These temperature sensors are coupled to a temperature controller. In the preferred embodiment of this invention temperature sensors for monitoring process fluids are infrared non-contact sensors. However, any type of temperature sensor will suffice as long as it consistently and dependably monitors ink temperatures in real time.
In a first aspect of the present invention, the so called multi-zone ink vibrator roller temperature control system, a main normally open solenoid valve in the coolant circulation system is placed between the coolant discharge from ink vibrator rollers of the rotary printing press and the coolant circulation reservoir. This main solenoid valve, or a plurality of them (one per press unit), is coupled to a temperature controller in reference to a non-contact sensor that monitors the ink temperature at each set of ink vibrator rollers. A high flow rate central coolant pump operates continuously taking its suction from the reservoir and feed the ink vibrator rollers. A secondary normally closed solenoid, one for a plurality of press units, is placed between the discharge of the circulation pump and the coolant reservoir to serve as a bypass coolant flow conduit. This secondary bypass solenoid is coupled to the temperature controller and is programmed to open when 30% or less of the circulation through the main solenoid valve(s) are open. This bypass arrangement provides for a continuous pressurized coolant circulation system at the ink vibrator rollers and/or plate cylinders whose coolant flow may be completely, and instantly, stopped or started without dead heading the continuously operating circulation pump. The coolant circulation pump typically supplies three ink vibrator rollers per unit of press and a plurality of such press units. Also, the circulation pump continuously supplies approximately 15% of its coolant discharge to a heat exchanger regulated by an inline flow regulator where this continuous coolant flow is either cooled or heated by the refrigerant of a heat pump and delivered to the coolant reservoir in a closed loop. In a preferred embodiment of this present invention, one non-contact infrared sensor monitors the ink temperature at one of the ink vibrator rollers and/or plate cylinder of each press unit. The process temperature is achieved by the rapid xe2x80x9con/offxe2x80x9d operation of a main solenoid valve in the coolant flow line returning from the ink vibrator rollers of each unit of press to the central coolant reservoir. Each infrared sensor/main solenoid valve set, one set per press unit for a plurality of press units, is coupled to a temperature controller so that the printing press operator can manually set the ink temperature he desires at each unit of the press based on his experience. The temperature controller in the preferred embodiment of this present invention is a central programmable logic computer (PLC) interfaced to a color touch screen and coupled to an infrared non-contact sensor to control each main normally open solenoid valve and the bypass solenoid valve. This first aspect of the present invention is called a Multi-Zone Ink Vibrator Roller Process Temperature Control System.
In a second aspect of the present invention, a plurality of printing units is supplied with coolant circulation using only one main normally open solenoid valve and one infrared sensor. This embodiment of the present invention is called an Omni-Zone Ink Vibrator Roller Process Temperature Control System.
In a third aspect of the present invention, a non-contact infrared sensor is also placed at the plate cylinder of one press unit (Omni-Zone System) or at a plurality of plate cylinders (Multi-Zone System). Typically, plate cylinders are not designed to receive coolant. Nevertheless, it is desirable to maintain this plate cylinder temperature within a specific temperature range at each press unit. The desired temperature at a plate cylinder depends, amongst other factors, on the chemistry and characteristics of the ink used. When the printing plate cylinders are not designed to receive coolant, the plate temperature is controlled in this aspect of the present invention by cooling the ink at the ink vibrator rollers on each press unit and the ink becomes the source of cooling at the printing plate cylinder. In such cases, the desired temperature range for each printing plate cylinder is manually input into the program of the temperature controller. In this way, the actual temperature reading at the infrared sensor at the printing plate in relation to the set temperature range provide an alarm signal for the press operator when the actual ink plate temperature reaches either limit of the pre-set temperature range and this for a plurality of printing plate cylinders. Upon receiving an alarm signal, the set ink temperatures at the ink vibration rollers may be manually reset, or managed automatically under PID control, to quickly and directly generate more or less cooling of the ink vibrator rollers to indirectly impact on the plate cylinder temperature.
In a fourth aspect of the present invention, coolant is also directly supplied to the plate cylinder, in cases where the press design permits using the coolant circulation flow to the ink vibrator rollers or using an independent coolant circulation stream dedicated to the plate cylinder or a plurality of plate cylinders.
In a fifth aspect of this present invention, process temperature control is enhanced as compared to the first and second aspects of this invention, Multi-Zone and Omni-Zone systems, by controlling the temperature of dampening solution associated with conventional printing plates as an second process fluid to cool the printing process. Typically, dampening solution is supplied to a printing press using known art called a fountain solution recirculator system. Increasingly, these recirculator systems include a mechanical refrigeration system to issue this fluid to the dampening systems of a printing press at some desired dampening solution temperature. This prior art makes no attempt was made to directly control process temperatures. This known art is intended to cool the dampening solution to some set temperature to assist in the essential formation of a microthin film of dampening solution on the printing plate. Any breach in the quality of this dampening solution film results in defects in coverage on the hydrophilic areas of the printing plate and yields unacceptable printed copies. Actually, temperature changes at the printing plate, and this in a plurality of press units, cause breaches in the dampening solution film coverage. Given that printing plate temperatures often cause these film breaches, dampening solution temperature at the printing plate is directly monitored in this aspect of the present invention by a plate cylinder infrared sensor coupled to an alarm as previously described in the third aspect of this present invention. This alarm signal permits manual temperature adjustments to the dampening solution being issued to the printing press. Alternatively, if the plate cylinder infrared sensor is coupled to a PLC/Touch Screen, this manual control can be automated using P.I.D. control. This dampening solution recirculation system may be combined with a process temperature control system as described in the four prior aspects of this present invention. This combo may be housed in a single footprint unit saving valuable floor space. More importantly, this aspect of the present invention uses dampening solution as a process fluid to contribute to meaningful process temperature control system.
In a sixth aspect of this present invention, a heat exchanger is added to the heat pump design of its preferred embodiment to provide a source of cooling control for an infrared/ultraviolet dryer system which is commonly used to set inks on the printed copies in the print copy delivery system. This closed loop separate dryer coolant flow consists of a circulation pump in continuous operation, an expansion tank and the above-mentioned heat exchanger. The dryer internal coolant absorbs the extraneous heat generated by the infrared/ultraviolet lamps of a dryer system. This hotter internal dryer coolant is then cooled at the heat exchanger by the external coolant that is also supplied to the ink vibrator roller/plate cylinder coolant flow paths of the first five aspects of this present invention. In this aspect, a thermocouple temperature sensor in the dryer internal coolant flow path (hot) returning from the dryers to the heat exchanger is coupled to a temperature controller. In turn, the temperature controller is coupled to a solenoid valve in the external coolant path (cold) to control the temperature of the dryer internal coolant. Without this sixth aspect in printing applications using ultraviolet or infrared dryers, the dryer heat impacts negatively on process temperatures.
The first six aspects of this present invention elaborate on ways and means to provide effective process temperature control for a rotary process machine which uses process fluids to manufacture a product such as printing (ink, dampening solution and coating material). Secondarily, the use of external cooling and heating coolant meaningfully assists a rotary machine to reach and maintain some ideal temperature in a timely fashion at which the machine operates best. While the descriptions of the present invention use process fluids themselves as a conduit of cooling or heating as required and uses external coolant to cool/heat the rotary machine and process fluids alike, the sixth aspect of this invention deal with the control of a heat source other than the principal ones of machine friction heat and heat generated by misting of a fluid (ink). Such sources of external heat as a by-product of achieving secondary end results is quite common in rotary production machines. In fact, there are other sources of process temperature disruption associated with printing such as the use of high volume low pressure air generated by turbine pumps. These turbine pumps in turn, generate tremendous unwanted heat delivered to the printing process by the low pressure high volume air. This source of unwanted heat may be cooled by the preferred heat pump of the present invention or by a system similar to the eighth aspect of the present invention. Accordingly, this present invention covers the control of any source of unwanted cooling or heating which negatively infringes on process temperature control.
In a seventh aspect of this invention, a separate heat exchanger is added to a pre-existing coating fluid system to control the temperature of fluid coating material used in printing process. In such cases, the external coolant flows of the prior six aspects of this present invention is used to cool the coating material in its own reservoir. Typically, coating fluid is applied to the substrate by a dedicated printing unit positioned after all ink process colors have been applied. This coating material is typically supplied in a closed loop continuous flow system compromising of a circulation pump to move this fluid to the coating press unit from which the excess coating material is returned to the coating reservoir. This is prior art except for the cooling of the coating material. Coating fluid temperatures tend to rise above its ideal temperature (i.e. 75xc2x0 F.) due to the heat gained by the coating material from the rotary printing machine. In this seventh aspect of the present invention, a thermocouple temperature sensor is placed in the coating fluid flow path (hot) from the coating reservoir and pump and before it entering the heat exchanger emits path to the coating press unit. External coolant is pumped to the heat exchanger as it is pumped to the press units of all prior aspects of this invention. This external coolant flow rate is controlled by a solenoid valve placed after the heat exchanger in its flow path back to the external coolant reservoir. Typically, there is only one coating press unit for a plurality of printing press units and the coating material is a varnish or silicone product to create a protective glossy finish coating after all ink colors have been applied.
In an eighth aspect of this present invention, the central heat pump system of the preferred embodiment of this present invention is replaced by a stand alone refrigeration system such as an existing large water based chilling system. Typically, these large chillers are used for other pressroom applications such as baking ovens for heat set inks used in web press applications. It is also common practice today to use these large chilling systems to cool web printing presses through the ink vibrator rollers at each unit of press using known art as described by U.S. Pat. No. 3,956,986 issued to Birkhandt Urliz et al in 1976. Typically, these ink vibrator roller cooling/heating systems use the chill water of this central chiller and a circulation pump to conduit this chill water to the ink vibrator rollers and discharges back to the main reservoir of the central chiller system. Often, an electric probe heating element in the ink vibrator rollers, and a thermocouple in the coolant discharge from the ink vibrator rollers, both coupled to a temperature controller, are used to meet coolant heating needs. If the coolant discharge temperature from the ink vibrator rollers increases above a set temperature, i.e. 75xc2x0 F., chill water from the central chilling system is added to the coolant circulated to the ink vibrator roller in order to reduce its coolant temperature at the exit from the ink vibrator rollers to the set temperature (75xc2x0 F.). If the coolant discharge temperature from the ink vibrator rollers is less than 75xc2x0 F., which occasionally occurs when a press has not been in operation for a long period, the central chiller water source is closed off and the closed loop water circulating to the ink vibrator roller is heated by the electric probe heater to 75xc2x0 F. Typically, one such standard cooling/heating system is used for a plurality of press units. However, even if there is one such system for each unit of a press, this design is not capable to provide rigid process temperature control at the present day elevated press speeds up to 25 copies per second. The inventors of this present invention found that ink temperatures at the ink vibrator rollers of a web press varied by as much as 18xc2x0 .F at press speeds of 2500 feet per minute over a two-hour test period using this typical central standard central chiller system with the prior art as described by U.S. Pat. No. 3,956,986 issued to Birkland Urliz et al in 1976. In this aspect of the present invention, the full power of the central chill water is issued to the ink vibrator rollers and/or plate cylinders without regulating its temperature at the discharge of the ink vibrator rollers. Typically, chill water for a central chiller unit is set at 50xc2x0 F. or lower. From these ink vibrator rollers, the chill water of this present invention returns directly to the central chilling system""s reservoir impeded only a solenoid valve per press unit or per press. Typically, the chill water returning to the central chiller""s reservoir is approximately 200 gallons per minute at 2 to 3xc2x0 F. higher in temperature than the chilled water entering the ink vibrator roller from the central chiller system. This large flow rate at a low temperature is a huge source of cooling power previously untapped. The preferred non-contact infrared temperature sensor monitoring the ink vibrator rollers of this present invention is coupled to a temperature controller and operates the above mentioned solenoid valve(s). Since web presses typically perfecting print simultaneously on both sides of a substrate, using an upper and lower section of each press unit; a non-contact sensor is preferred for each set of ink vibrator rollers and each plate cylinder of each unit of a press and this for a plurality of press units. Each set of ink vibrator rollers and/or each printing plate cylinder has its own coolant discharge impeded only by a solenoid valve coupled to the temperature controller. Since the heat generated in the upper and lower section of each press unit is never the same at any press speed (due to such factors as different mechanical design tolerances, mechanical adjustments/wear, different amounts of ink coverage at each and different ink shearing heat levels), the preferred embodiment of this aspect of this present invention is where there is separate control for the ink vibrator roller train and/or each plate cylinder of the upper and lower section of a perfecting web press. This is achieved by the inclusion of a main solenoid valve on the discharge side of the coolant flow path from the ink vibrator rollers of the upper section and another for the lower section of each press unit and/or each plate cylinder. In the preferred embodiment of this aspect of this invention, using the ink vibrator. roller system as an example, a continuously operating pump for a plurality of press units is used to ensure maximum coolant flow to each set of ink vibrator rollers. This coolant flow is fully stopped and instantly started at each set of ink vibrator rollers by a normally open solenoid valve in the coolant discharge from each set of ink vibrator rollers to the central chiller reservoir. One non-contact temperature sensor associated with each set of ink vibrator rollers coupled to temperature controller controls its associated normally open coolant solenoid valve. Should only 30% or less of these solenoid valves be open at any instant, a normally closed by-pass solenoid valve (one per press) is automatically opened to maintain flow to protect against coolant flow pressure dead heading at the circulation pump. The preferred embodiment of this aspect of the present invention is called the Web Multi-Zone ink vibrator and plate cylinder Temperature Control system in which each set of ink vibrator rollers and each printing plate cylinder is controlled separately. This preferred embodiment of this invention may be amended to an Omni-Zone system as described in the second aspect of this present invention such that the coolant flow to all units of a press is controlled by an infrared sensor at the ink vibrator rollers and/or plate cylinder, of the upper or lower roller trains, or both, of a pre-selected specific of a web press. If press heating is required during cold startups, a closed loop coolant flow to the ink vibrator rollers is set up using the above circulating pump, an additional coolant reservoir, an electric probe and the same conduit path as when in a cooling mode. When the system is in heating mode, the supply and return conduits path of the central chiller system to the printing press are closed by solenoid valves coupled to a temperature controller. In this case, the non-contact infrared temperature sensor(s) coupled to the temperature controller activates the electrical probe heat (usually 10-15 kw-hr) to heat the coolant to increase the ink temperature as desired. This closed heating flow loop pre-warms the printing press to permit faster ramping of press speeds with fewer mechanical press adjustments than would be necessary to increase the process temperature from below normal to ideal during cold start-up period ramping.
In the ninth aspect of the present invention, the preferred embodiment of this present invention includes non-contact infrared mirror type sensors. These infrared sensors are known art. However, infrared sensors are typically manufactured to xc2x14xc2x0 C. variance between their temperature reading and the actual temperature sensed. This is an unacceptable accuracy range for process temperature control since the object of process temperature control system of this present invention is to maintain process temperature within a range of xc2x11xc2x0 C. (xc2x11.8xc2x0 F.). Investigations under this present invention showed that the repeatability of readings from a quality infrared sensor is within a xc2x11xc2x0 C. range. That is to say, if a reading from a given infrared sensor is 3xc2x0 C. higher (i.e. 88xc2x0 F.) than the actual temperature (85xc2x0 F.), it will repeatedly read 3xc2x0 C. higher within a range of actual temperatures of xc2x15xc2x0 C. (i.e. 80 to 90xc2x0 F.). When a programmable logic computer (PLC) is included, the preferred embodiment of this present invention includes software to calibrate each non-contact infrared sensor so that it will accurately monitor temperatures to xc2x11xc2x0 F. As a result, the non-contact infrared sensor of the preferred embodiment of this present invention provides accurate process temperature information so that the decisions of the press operator conform to process realities. It also provides for easy infrared temperature sensor re-calibration in the field. Further to this, the preferred non-contact infrared sensor is a mirror type infrared sensors for cleanliness and low maintenance upkeep. As discussed earlier, ink shears at high press speeds. Apart from the detrimental heat produced by ink shearing, the tearing apart of ink molecules, this phenomena results in visible ink misting into the pressroom environment. While the xc2x11xc2x0 C. process temperature control provided by this present invention actually reduces the amount of ink misting during a print run (and therefore reduces the negative impact on the environment and printed copies produced), a means must exist to prevent the laying down of particles of ink from misting on the non-contact sensor components and its mirror. The mirror of the non-contact infrared sensor permits the monitoring of temperature readings of an ink surface that is parallel to the cylindrical infrared sensor. The infrared wave emitted by the ink surface on the press rollers is bent by the mirror place at 45xc2x0 so that the wave direction is changed by 90xc2x0 and runs parallel to the ink surface. The mirror assembly is a hollow cylinder that screws on to the end of metallic cylindrical infrared sensor and contains a mirror placed at 45% to the hollow cylindrical tube. This is known art. With this design, the mirror assembly when screwed onto the main cylindrical sensor deflects the infrared wave by 90xc2x0 so that it travels along the center of the cylindrical sensor to the sensors measuring device. The mirror assembly has an elliptical opening in its hollow cylindrical body through which the infrared wave beam can be received from the point where the ink temperature is being measured. The preferred embodiment of this present invention provides for an air curtain across the outer periphery of the hollowed cylindrical body of the mirror assembly at the elliptical opening. This air curtain prevents ink misting particles from entering and depositing on the infrared components (including the mirror of the mirror assembly). Commonly, print rooms use dry, cleaned compressed air to operate pneumatic equipment and controls in their process. This quality central air source is regulated to 2 or 3 psia and issued across the face of the elliptical opening to the mirror creating an air curtain to prevent the deposit of ink misting or other contaminants on the mirror and the main components of the infrared sensor assembly. Alternatively, the pressurized air can be made to enter the hollowed cylindrical infrared sensor such that the air flows to the mirror assembly and exits at the elliptical opening. This outward air flow from the infrared sensor insures non-contamination by ink misting without disrupting the sensors normal accuracy.
In the tenth aspect of this present invention, the preferred embodiment of this present invention includes a central efficient heat pump source of cooling or heating for the coolant circulated to the rotary printing press where the latter""s flow rate is abruptly started and stopped in real time. Practically and usually, a printing press is either heated for an extended period of time such as during a start up period (first hour or so) or cooled continuously after a start up period until a given print run is completed. In other words, cooling is not required at all during cold press start-ups and heating is not required thereafter. The absence of alternating between cooling and heating in real time means that a heat pump design is appropriate for this present invention. The preferred heat pump design is a self-contained air-cooled heat pump using a scroll type compressor whose spent air is ducted outside of the controlled environment of a pressroom. Alternatively, a remote roof-mounted air-cooled condenser unit may be used. In a cooling mode, this preferred xe2x80x9cscrollxe2x80x9d heat pump design delivers compressed refrigerant to an air cooled condenser and then proceeds to a stainless steel plate heat exchanger which acts as a refrigerant evaporator and a means to cool the coolant circulating to the rotary press of this present invention. Heat from this coolant is removed at this heat exchanger by continuously circulating approximately 15% of the total coolant flow issued from the circulation pump through this plate heat exchanger in a closed flow loop to the reservoir. The balance of the total coolant flow from the circulating pump is the coolant supplied to the rotary press. In the heating mode, the refrigerant gas flow cycle is reversed such that the hot refrigerant issued from the scroll compressor heats the coolant for the rotary machine at the heat exchanger. Then the refrigerant is reheated at the condenser unit using the air as a source of heat before again being re-pressurized at the scroll pump. In this way, the coolant flow to the rotary machine is cooled or heated as required and made available for the ink vibrator rollers, printing plate cylinders, fountain solution recirculator, coating material and the infrared/ultraviolet lamp dryers coolant system. However, this preferred heat pump design is only practical when the application of this present invention does not include fountain solution dryers and coating material temperature control since these do not require heating at all. In such cases, the reverse refrigerant gas flow is removed to result in a standard mechanical air cooled refrigeration system. Whether the central refrigeration system is a heat pump or a standard mechanical refrigeration unit, the preferred embodiment of this present invention includes a means to automatically adjust and balance the cooling load to the press heat load in real time. This present invention achieves this automated cooling adjustment using a central process unit (CPU) coupled with a DC driven electrical moduling valve in a bypass line in the hot gas refrigerant circuit so that an appropriate quantity of refrigerant gas by-passes the air condenser unit to reduce the BTU/HR of cooling load being generated at any instant. Remember that the amount of cooling required at any instant at a given printing press unit is different from the other press units at any press speed since the heat load generated at each depends on mechanical friction heat and the actual ink coverage at each press unit. A larger quantity of ink provides more cooling effect since ink itself is a process coolant. However, a larger quantity of ink at high press speeds generates more shearing heat than lower quantities. Also, the cooling load requirement depends on the press speed in real-time since the heat load increases exponentially with speed. In the first seven aspects of the present invention, adequate heating/cooling capacity is designed into the temperature control system to handle the extreme needs of the printing press in question. As an example, the cooling required for a Multi-Zone ink vibrator roller/dampening solution multi-zone system of this present invention, is a 10-15 ton system (120,000 BRU/HR) for a typical 8-unit sheet-fed press of 40-inch width running at 12,000 to 15,000 copies per hour. For each press unit, the cooling/heating load required at any instant depends on the actual press speeds, the ink type, the actual fluid coverages (ink, dampening solution, coating and drying), press unit design, wear and adjustments. Consequently, there is no possible way to calculate the heat load being generated at the press unit at any instant yet it is important to balance the cooling being delivered to match the heat load being generated to provide a narrow range of process temperature fluctuations in real-time. Therefore, the preferred embodiment of this present invention includes a hot refrigerant gas bypass valve to reduce cooling loads to match instances where the press heat load is lower than the design capacity of the heat pump system. This matching cooling to heat loads is important since it prevents excess cooling loads when the heat loads are lower and this prevents process temperature ranges from being wider than xc2x11.8xc2x0 F. Also this hot gas bypass system avoids fatal short cycling of the scroll compressor. As an example, assume the central refrigeration system utilized in an application was a 10-ton capacity capable of removing 120,000 BTU/HR of heat from the rotary machine. This refrigeration system is designed to operate efficiently and dependably during press run periods where the cooling requirements of the rotary machine is 60,000 to 120,000 BTU/HR. However, when a press unit only requires 10-20% or less cooling than the cooling power design (i.e. 12,000 or 24,000 BTU/HR of cooling for a whole process temperature system designed at 120,000 BTU/HR) the 10-ton refrigeration system is vastly oversized. This oversizing results in too powerful cooling during low heat load periods causing fatal short cycling of the scroll compressor of the process temperature control system. More importantly, this excessive cooling situation increases the range of process temperatures. Therefore, the preferred embodiment of this present invention includes a hot gas bypass refrigerant electrical moduling valve coupled to a CPU programmed to control the cooling load generated in real-time. To achieve this automated control, this present invention focuses on the coolant temperature in the actual coolant reservoir temperature (T) in reference to its pre-set temperature (S.T.). When T increases in real-time, this means that the heat load has increased which necessitates more cooling from the refrigeration system. Accordingly, the refrigerate bypass solenoid valve closes proportionally. Similarly, if T decreases, this means that there is too much cooling power and the refrigerant bypass solenoid valve opens proportionally. The preferred software control program is based on the following formula that:
Assume that D is set at 2xc2x0 and SP is set at 65xc2x0 and T is actually 70xc2x0 this calls for maximum cooling. Accordingly, the formula calls for 175% closed (100% closed) and issues 10 VDC to the H.G.bypass valve. If T then reduces to 67xc2x0, maximum cooling is still required and formula calls for 100% closure and still generates 10 VDC. When T reduces to 66xc2x0 F., 50% closure is required and 5.0 VDC is issued. When T reduces to 64xc2x0 F. or less, minimum cooling is required and zero percent closure (100% open) happens and 0 VDC is issued to the H.G.bypass valve. If it is desired to have more rapid movement of the H.G.bypass valve, that is, more rapid charges to the VDC issued in real-time, the D valve of 2 can be reduced at the expense of more frequent compressor recycling and short cycles. Take note that since the infrared sensor cannot read more accurately than 1xc2x0 F., lowering D to 1xc2x0 may result in needless compressor recycling without any meaningful added value being actually received in the balancing of cooling to heat loads.
To this point, the many aspects of this invention deals with a host of process temperature applications, each to provide significant improvement befitting the needs of modern day printing press speeds. Increased printing press speeds also require enhanced press operator skills. Since copies are currently generated at speeds up to twenty-five per second, even the most skilled press operator cannot react quickly enough since he or she must necessarily usually review the quality of printed copies to ascertain their degree of acceptability. Reasonably, he or she can only make adjustments to correct future copies and this assumes that the adjustments contemplated were appropriate. Given this reality, a first rate process temperature control system must be highly automated such that the control system operates as quickly and transparently as possible to the press operator. In fact, the strength of this present invention is to incrementally correct process temperature drifts so that the print quality deterioration caused by temperature drifts no longer exist for the operator to witness in his completed copies.
Accordingly, the eleventh aspect of this present invention is a PLC controlled system coupled with a Touch Screen monitor. This Touch Screen allows the press operator to set the required process temperatures for a plurality of press units using his or her experience. This electronic interface permits the press operators to oversee the integrity of the dynamic printing process temperature control system since all actual coolant flow adjustments are automatic, instantaneous and transparent to him. The press operator merely sets the desired process temperatures, verifies that these are being achieved and/or resets those that will improve the quantity of the printing production. Further, given the fundamental importance of the process temperature control of this present invention, any equipment malfunction must be quickly known and presented in a most simple manner for quick resolution. Accordingly, this aspect of the present invention includes an electronic diagnostic system, which identifies emerging equipment problems and graphically depicts the corrective measures required. This elaborate diagnostic system detects many minor cooling/heating problems that will interfere with the efficiency of process temperature control system and the integrity of the whole printing process. If left unidentified and/or unattended, this will lead to press downtime.
In this regard, a further twelfth aspect of this present invention is to provide essential control over the very important solenoid valves by using thermocouples attached to their body to monitor their actual temperature in real-time. When a solenoid is activated (energized), it heats up according to its own individual temperature fingerprint whether it is a normally open or closed type. If a solenoid valve fails to open or close for mechanical reasons upon activation, its body will be at a different temperature, than if operated correctly. As an example, if a solenoid is activated to close (normally opened) but does not, it will remain cooler more than if it had closed correctly. If this occurs, the coolant would still flow and cool the activated coil of the solenoid valve resulting in a lower solenoid temperature than if it had closed properly. Therefore, the use of a thermocouple on the body of solenoid valve identifies the integrity of operation of each solenoid. When these solenoid thermocouples are coupled to a PLC/Touch Screen, this aspect of the present invention provides important diagnostic control to monitor the integrity of each solenoid and by inference, the integrity of the process temperature control system itself. To further reduce press downtime, all diagnostic and operating data may be transmitted by telephone modem for remote professional equipment evaluation and problem solving or simply as an equipment audit means towards better preventive maintenance.